Control monorail car apparatus



My 11, 1933- c. s. HADDLESAY CONTROL MONORAIL CAR APPARATUS Filed March e, 1931 Patented July 11, `1933 CHARLES s. nADijLEsAv, O'ELMHURST, ILLINOIS CONTROL MoNORArL CAR APPARATUS VVApplication filed March 6, v1931. Serial-No. 520,735.

My invention relates to monorail conveyor apparatus. Y i p One of the objects of my invention'is to provide controlling apparatus for monorail cars of the suspension type which will allow only one car at a time to be released at the desii-ed time. Y

A further object is to provide such apparatus in which the cars are delivered-one at a time to a conveyor and in which the release of the car is controlled by the conveyor movement; i

Y Y Further objects will appear from the description and claims. Y t

In the drawing in which one form of apparatus embodying my invention is shown,

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a monorail track showing the car associated therewith; Fig.- 2 is a side elevational view of car release controlling apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a plan view ofA the construction of Fig. 2; and r .Y K

Fig. Lis a `perspective view of the lmovable track section and its support. v

Referring to the drawing in detail, the construction shown therein comprises an inthe elined track sectionV 1 down which the-ears V2 may move by gravity,4 a rockably mounted car-holding and releasing member 3 which, when moved from its lower to its higher .position, permits theV entire stringof' waiting cars to advance a step, and which,- when moved from its raised to its lowered position, releases the foremost waiting car and prevents movement of the following oars, an endless conveyor 4 adjacent said inclined track section, having a'pluralityv of car pickup devices 5 mounted in'spaced relation-therein, and means controlled by the movemento the pick-up devices for controlling t-he rockying movement of the rockable release'mem- ET; g

The rockable release member comprises an' oscillatable U-shaped member pivotally mounted on a pair of rock pins 6 which in turn are mounted in the spaced bearing members 7. This oscillatable U-'shapedmember is provided with upper and lower spaced stop 0 portions 8 and 9.- When the rockable release a' piick-uppdevice to come valone member 3 is moved Yfrom its lower position (shown in full lines) toits raised position (shown in dotted lines) thefuppeistop portion- 8 ismoved from its obstructing position in iront of the. rollers 10 of the frontV car, but c the lower stopportionft)y is'brought into obstructing position so that `the string of cars can advance only a d einite amount, which definite 'amount is designed Vsoas to stop the string of cars in a positionso that when the rockable release .member is movedv from its upper to its lower vpositionjvthe upper stop portion -8 will enter just behind the foremost car of the string and just infront of the nextsucceeding rcar. During thisdownward movement, the lower stop portion 9 moves below the path offtravel ofthe wheelsofthe Vforemost car and this foremost car thenmoves by gravitydown the inclined track coming to rest at the position indicated at A where pick-up'member it will be seized bythe next 5 which comes along. Y

As indicated above, the 'up and down movement of this release member iscontrolled by the movement of the pick-up devices 5 on the conveyorvchain. The transmission from the pick-up device to theV rockable release member comprises an operating cam or lever 11 mounted ony a rock shaftv12 and engaged by the-pin 13 on which the pick-up device 5 is mounted, a pair of rockfarms'li secured to .this rock shaft, a pair of links orv connecting vrods lpivotally connectedA at 16 with these rock arms respectively, and al pair of rock arms 17 pivotally connected at 18 to the links 15 and mountedonthe rockpins'G which` are Vsecuredto the U-shaped oscillatable release member 3'. A. suitably-designed coil tension spring 19Ais provided, tending to hold the oscillatablerelease member in its raised posi- Y tion: i A. e.

When a car is in position at A5 waitingfor g, its weight holds the rockable release member-in its lower position because of the fact that a small section 2O of the track is carried by this rocha-ble release member andthe weight of the car resting on this portion is sufficient to hold the releasemember in lits lower position against .the action vof the lifting spring 19 and remove it trom thentrack section I2Ov carried by the release member. This allows the release member 3 .tomove'fto its upper position under the actionof the lifting spring 19. y 'This moves tlie upper stop *portion 8 away romwtlie front car and thereupon the entire'string of waiting cars moves forward a step until the rollers ofthefront ycarengage the ylower stop portion 9, thus bringing the whole string of cars to astop.V As the'pi'ck-up hook 5 mov'esalong, the cross piiil on which it is mounted will come into engagement-with the bent lever or cam ll which, through the transmission previously described, 'will move the rockable release'member 3 to its lower position. This moves the upper *stop portion 8 down behind the'rollers ofv the roiitcar and in frontv of the rollers of the succeedingV car and also moves the lower stop portion 9 downward from in front of the rollers of the front car,

releasing this front car which rolls by gravity along the inclined track section 2O to the waiting position indicated at A.l I

The conveyor construction may be 'of any suitable type comprising a pair of chains 22 running over spaced sprockets 23, the cross pins on which the pickup-hooks are mounted having their ends'mounted'inthe links of the conveyor chain. Y v

It will be notedthat if for any reason the pick-up hook' should ffail tograb the waiting car,no more cars will be released, as this waiting lcar holds the release device in obstructing position because of the fact that vitsV weight isresting on the small track section V2() carried by the rockable release member.

The feeding and releasing apparatus may be controlled invariou's ways and maybe used for delivering ycars one atatime to `any suitable type of conveying mechanism, either power or gravity. While only one speciiic embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, it will be understood that various changes and modiications in the details of structure and arrangement of the parts may be made without vdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. This embodiment of they invention having been shown and described,v ytherefore what is claimed as -new is: y Y

l. Apparatus for handling jmonorail Ysuspension cars comprising an inclined track in@ cars and means wliereb the section along which the carstravel by grav;

- ity, a traveling conveyer adjacent said track section having car pick-up devices mounted Vin spaced relation thereon, and means controlled by the movement of the conveyor for delivering the Vcars one at a time Jfrom the inclinedtrack section tothe pick-upV devices, said delivering means comprising a member movable to one position to permit the waiting cars to advance a step land movable` to another'fposition to release the foremost waiting car and prevent movement of the following cars. Y

,2.:Apparatus for handlingmonorail suspension cars comprising an inclined track section along which the cars travel by gravity, a traveling conveyor adjacent said track section having car pick-up devices mounted y in spaced' relation thereon, and meansv controlied by the movement of theconveyor for delivering the cars-one at a time Jfrom the I inclined track section to the pick-up devices, said delivering means comprising -a member movable to one position topermit thewaiting cars to advance a step and movable to another Vposition to release the foremost waiting car and prevent movement ot the followweight of the released car holds the movable member in saidV movement-preventing position until "95 the released car i's carried away bythe pickup device. y f

f8. Apparatus for handling suspension cars A'mounted in spaced relation thereon, releas able'retaining means controlled by the movement of the conveyor for delivering the'cars one at a time from the downwardly inclined track A section to the pick-'up devices, saidf retaining meanscoinprising a pair of stops,

one viorcooperating with the`l foremost detained car andone fori cooperating with the carl next to the foremost detailed I car, and means orcontrolling said stops so that when moved fromY one position to another all the detained cars are permittedto advance a step :and when returned the yforemostde- -tainedicar is separated from-the others and` released -to be-r moved into position.v to cooperate with thepick-up devices.-

4i Apparatus for handling suspension cars comprising'a downwardly inclined track section along which the cars travel by gravity,4 anupwardly inclined track section to which the cars are delivered from the downwardly Vinclined section, a traveling conveyor running parallel to said 'upwardly inclined track section and having car pick-up `devices mounted-in spaced relation thereon, releas- `comprisinga downwardly inclined track sec- Y able retaining means controlled by the movement of the conveyor for delivering the cars one at a time from the downwardly inclined track section to the pick-up devices, said retaining means comprising a. pair of stops, one for cooperating with the foremost detained car and one for cooperating with the car next to the foremost detained car, means for controlling said stops so that when moved from one position to another, all the detained cars are permitted to advance a step and when returned and foremost detained car is separated from the others and released to be moved into position to cooperate with theV pick-up devices, and a pivoted track section movable with said stops to which said separated car is released.

5. Apparatus forhandling suspension cars comprising a downwardly inclined track section along which the cars travel by gravity, an upwardly inclined track section to which the cars are delivered from the downwardly inclined section, a traveling conveyor running parallel to said upwardly inclined track section and having car pick-up devices mountthe movement of the for cooperating with the foremost detained v car and one for cooperating withthe ,car neXt to the foremost detained car, means for controlling said stops so that when moved from one position to another all the detained cars are permitted to advance a step and when returned the foremost detained car is separated from the others and released to be Vmoved into position to cooperate with the pick-up devices, a pivoted track section movable withsaid stops to which said separated car is released, and meanscontrolled by movement of the conveyor and by the weight of the separated car for controlling pivoted track section and stops.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES S. HADDLESAY.

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

Patent No. ,917,836. July 11, 1933.

CHARLES S. HADDLESAY.

I is hereby ceried imi eror appears o the primari specification of the above mimoeo paoi requiring corr-action as oiiows: Page 2, line Y114, claim 3, for "deaied" rea "dened"; page 3, Iine I2, clom 4, for "and" read "the"; and tha the said Lesrs Patent should be road with these corrections thorein na ao soms conform to the record of the case in the Patent Gffice.

Signe and seaiod this 22nd day of August, A. D. 1933.

M. J. Moore. (Seal) Actixg Commissioner of Patents. 

